As Luck Would Have It
by Dezaria
Summary: AU Always one to strive for a cheery disposition, Sakura finds herself accidentally in the middle of a double homicide case. Utterly in over her head, the young woman depends on the most unlikely of saviors.
1. Bandaids & Phone Calls

This is **rated M **due to language and mild sexual situations. Also rated for content in future chapters.  
**Disclaimer**: If I owned Naruto, then Sasuke would've felt the end of Sakura's fist quite some time ago. ;)

**A/N**: This is meant for some fun reading. It's my first go at a completely AU fic, so I'd really like to know how you feel about it.

**Chapter One:** **Band-aids and Phone Calls**

_I'll kill it, _was the first thought to cross Sakura's mind as she woke up to insistent knocking on her apartment's door. She had arrived home well after dusk once finishing a double shift at St. Fire's Hospital, completely spent and emotionally in the dumps. Of course, with the way her luck was lately, it made morbid sense that her good-for-nothing neighbor would be hosting a party. True, she could afford a better apartment complex, but she'd lived in the same place since graduating Konoha University. It was a nice building complex near her childhood subdivision and it also wasn't too far from her current work. An elderly man named Frank lived to her right, and a promiscuous, drama queen named Karin lived to her left. Sakura finally was able to fall asleep due to said drama queen's obnoxious party music turning off.

Giving up on mentally assassinating whoever it was at her door, Sakura threw off her blanket and sheets to march ungracefully through her one-bedroom apartment. Too tired to be able to successfully ignore the fact that she really needed to clean up her place, she decided to take it out on the insistent door-knocker.

"What do you want?" Her hoarse voice demanded after she unbolted and wrenched her apartment door open. She glared up at who dared to disturb her slumber. The man was only taller than her by a few inches, but he gave off an aura that very clearly stated not to mess with him or it'd be concrete shoes. The mix of his angular features and his dark hair and intense eyes reminded her of someone. Unfortunately, her sleep muddled mind wasn't cooperating. He really was nice on the eyes in that dark mysterious way, she decided. Then she noticed that she had been staring. Then she realized he had been too. About then was when she followed his lowered gaze to find that she had answered the door in her panties and wrinkled t-shirt.

A cool breeze washed through the doorway and her body reacted. Slowly the man's dark gaze raised and met Sakura's, which was abruptly followed by a most unladylike squawk as she slammed the door closed. Thoroughly mortified she threw the bolt for good measure.

"Miss Haruno, please open the door." His calm, velvet voice floated through the white door that she was currently leaning against for support. Nice to know he was unfazed. Wait... how did he know who she was?

"I'm sorry, but Miss Haruno lives one over to the left." She fibbed quickly. He was probably just trouble anyway.

"I'm inclined to disagree." His voice replied.

"And why is that, Stranger?" Her voice was less hoarse and more impatient. She was imagining crawling back into her warm, cozy bed.

"I believe long, pink hair is a rare physical feature, Miss Haruno." If she knew better she'd say he sounded slightly amused. She twisted to look out of the peep-hole and choked on her gasp. He had not only been smirking, but he was staring straight into the peep-hole. _Shit. _Why did her parents' genes have to make her a freak? Somewhere in the Scottish and German heritage she received, her hair became a special kind of strawberry-blonde. Pink, some people called it.

"I prefer 'light red' in all honesty." She told the man flatly. "Now, why are you looking for me this early?"

"It wasn't you specifically, so do not worry. I was informed of you when I asked for a local doctor."

"Not a local hospital?"

Silence. And then, "I'd rather speak about such things inside."

"And I'd rather protect myself against a stranger who doesn't want a paper trail." She sighed and wished herself a warm mug of green tea. "No offense," she offered after a moment.

"None taken, but you have nothing to worry about from me. I intend you no harm, Miss Haruno." His voice had a tired edge to it now, so she peeked through the peep-hole again. The man's skin was too pale, she noticed. He was also clutching at his side and favoring one leg. It didn't take a genius to put it together. _Damn my big heart, _Sakura thought while she pinched the bridge of her nose.

She ran into her bedroom and pulled on a pair of blue jeans from the floor that passed the sniff-test. Then she tugged on a clean sports bra that was conveniently on the back of her desk's chair. Running back to the door she called out, "make one remark on the mess and I'll kick you out!" She re-opened the door to be greeted with the sight of the same exotically attractive man, but now that she was up and her brain was working she took in his stubbornly stoic facade.

She carefully helped him inside. Well, it was more like she anxiously circled him while he determinedly strode in on his own. Once the door was shut and locked back up Sakura was able to focus on getting him situated. She was getting her couch slightly straightened up when he cleared his throat softly.

"Yes?"

"I think your bathroom or kitchen would be best." He didn't blink when she stood up and glared openly at him. He looked back at her blankly, obviously not feeling like expounding.

"Something you'd like to tell me, Stranger?" Her hands were on her hips and she was still glaring. In response he simply shrugged out of his long, dark jacket. She gasped, and then went right back to glaring at the idiot of a man. "Why the hell didn't you tell me? Get into my kitchen!" The light red-headed woman pointed toward her kitchen and stomped off into another direction.

When Sakura came out of her bedroom and entered the kitchen with her large first aid pack in her arms, she saw the dark-haired man had brought over a chair from her small dinning table to sit on. He had his right foot resting on the counter, his leg intelligently elevated. Dark hair fell over his shoulders when he leaned forward to apply pressure. He didn't even flinch.

She set her detailed first aid kit down on the kitchen counter and turned back to face the man while tying up her long hair. Blood had soaked through the right side of his button-up shirt. The shirt itself seemed to be slashed through the same area. Some kind of knife wound, Sakura figured. It was hard to tell exactly how much blood soaked through his pant leg considering his jeans were black.

"What on earth happened?" She asked, not sure how irritated to be.

He gave her a look.

"You're right," she said raising both hands in surrender, "I don't want to know. Let's get started, Stranger."

"Itachi." He said softly.

"Hm?"

"My name is Itachi."

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Itachi. Now take off your shirt." She felt more comfortable now that she could get down to business. Just patch him up and send him on his way. Then she could sleep and he could live. Win-win. Itachi didn't seem to mind.

He met her gaze and lifted his bloodied hands to undo the first button on his shirt. He kept her gaze until he reached for the forth button. The doctor turned her dilated eyes to her first aid kit. There was a sound that could have been a soft chuckle. _The gall, _she fumed as she picked out what she'd need from the kit. She washed her hands in the sink thoroughly before snapping on a pair of gloves and turning back around, sterilized wipes in hand.

He'd put his ruined shirt to good use on his leg. His skin was pale and his side was covered in dried blood. Doing her best not to cause him any pain, she began cleaning around the wound. The smell of antiseptic and copper tickled her nose. It would definitely need stitches, but it didn't look to be horribly deep. He must have been too busy out-running whatever happened to take time to deal with his wounds correctly, she supposed. She did her best to not notice how broad Itachi's shoulders were, or how his lean physique radiated pure masculinity while working so close to him.

She needed five butterfly bandages to temporarily close the gash. Making small talk with her 'patient' to make sure he was doing alright, Sakura returned to her kit to root around for her sterile scissors. She felt a little like Marry Popins while she dug through her unorganized, large medical kit. Truly, it was out of character for her to be this disorganized. Maybe she'd ask Tsunade, her boss, for a couple days off to catch up with her life. _Ah ha! _Finally locating her seemingly runaway scissors, the woman turned her focus back to her would-be patient.

"I'm going to need to cut your pant leg off to access the wound." She waited for him to say no, but no objections were made.

He removed his blood soaked shirt from his leg and she cut through his jeans with ease. She set the scissors on the counter to be cleaned before turning back and carefully lowering his pant leg. The wound wasn't pretty, but at least it missed anything major. The bullet hadn't left an exit wound. _Dammit, _she mentally cursed. Outwardly, she sighed.

"Itachi, you need hospital care. I can't tell what the bullet has damaged-"

"I was able to move. It should be fine."

"Removing the bullet alone will cause damage! Not to mention you running around doing whatever it was you were doing!" Her inner time-bomb finally exploded. Woken up, embarrassed, morally persuaded, and then interrupted. Hell, no. "You, sir, are an idiot." She concluded hotly with crossed arms and pursed lips.

"I'd like to be a bulletless idiot, if you don't mind." There was an edge to his voice.

She glared at him, her green eyes spitting fire.

"I understand that there may be risks. I'll not blame you, Miss Haruno." Itachi stated, voice back to the usual velvety calmness.

"Just Sakura, please. And as long as you know you're being an idiot, then I guess I'll help you out." She knew she should ask for it in paper. She could tell he was in pain though, whether he wanted her to know or not. He had enough willpower to light the city, she had to give him that, but you learn to read people when your job is to fix them. "Are you allergic to anything I should know about before I continue?"

"No." Itachi watched her clean his thigh near the wound before she withdrew a needle and very small bottle of sorts. She stuck the needle through the top, before mumbling something and turning around. When the light-red headed woman faced him again she was eyeing the tip of the needle. She seemed satisfied after a small amount of liquid shot out.

"This is a local anesthetic. You don't seem squeamish, but this'll hurt all the same, Itachi. Prepare yourself." Her voice was professional and warm. Taking a silent intake of breath he did as she said. Itachi was used to pain by now, he knew how to escape the mass majority of it. Letting himself be drawn in by Sakura's purposeful rambling, his mind drifted away from the stinging hot pain spreading through his body.

She smelt of quiet determination and soft vanilla. He felt that the odd mix went well with what he knew of the woman before him. Given, he didn't know a great lot, but her personality was so open that it was hard not to see. It was most refreshing.

He let himself study Sakura while she continued working on his leg. Starting with her uncommon hair color, he found himself curious if her parents had to change her name after they realized. Itachi noticed that with her long hair pulled back, her forehead became more prominent. For some reason her large forehead seemed to suit her, perhaps as a physical acknowledgment of her obvious intelligence? He didn't know. Her vibrant eyes, utterly focused on her task, were a mix of vivid greens. The closer to her pupils, the lighter the hues. She had a straight nose and full lips that were pulled into a frown at the moment. Her jaw line and cheekbones were strong, yet feminine. He found the woman before him rather attractive.

"I'm going to take the bullet out now, please don't swallow your tongue." Sakura said, interrupting his analyzation of her features. Her tone wasn't playful. He guessed she didn't appreciate his close examination.

He watched Sakura produce an instrument from the kit on the counter that he wasn't familiar with. It looked something like a mix between tweezers and scissors. Giving him a quick glance she knelt back down and settled herself partly over his right leg. She hadn't done anything threatening besides yell a little, so he felt he could give her some leeway when it came to handling his person. The warm metal settled against his lower back offered him some protection, just in case.

Even with the shots of the local anesthetic, he could feel some vague discomfort as she probed his wound. When Sakura's left hand drummed its fingers high on his thigh, he found himself highly distracted for a second before his vague discomfort turned into actual pain.

"Relax," she told him. "It's almost out." Remembering an incident where she had said the same thing to a three year-old with a fireman's truck in his nostril, Sakura couldn't help the smile that forced itself on her lips. She wasn't able to squash the smile before Itachi noticed though, but his glare made it much easier to stop smiling. "There we go!" Out came the bloody bullet. "Do you want to keep it?"

A silent pause while Itachi considered. "Yes, thank you."

After setting the remains of the bullet on the counter, she turned back to face the injured man in her kitchen. She still had a lot of work to do on him, and they were both going to need food and sleep. He didn't interrupt as she meticulously organized how she'd fit everything in. It only took a few minutes, and then he sat and watched as Sakura threw away his shirt only to walk back with a small, clean towel for his leg.

"Now that the bullet is out, I want to finish up on your side before starting the process with your leg. We'll take a break in a couple hours, but I should be able to finish your leg within a few hours or so after that. Sound good?" She was smiling again.

"Very." His face was blank again, though his eyes seemed to draw everything in.

"Great, let me go get another chair."

Returning with a matching chair, Sakura got herself settled with fresh gloves and a gave Itachi few shots of the local anesthetic around his side wound. Grabbing a sterile needle and wire from her kit, she prepared for the first suture. She pressed gently against the wound with her palm to gage how well the anesthetic was working. Happy with the result of his curious glance, she began stitching the wound together with precise movements. When she'd reach a butterfly bandage she would carefully remove it and stick it to her pants before continuing.

Three failed attempts at conversation and thirty-seven stitches later, Sakura finished her last suture on his side. She stood and stretched before cleaning up the side wound again and then fishing out a large, square band-aid. He seemed to have been miraculously grazed with whatever caught him, so he escaped any rib injuries and didn't need to be wrapped. _His leg however - _her thought process was disrupted at the bright sound of her cell phone ringing in her bedroom. _Arg. _

"I should get that."

When he didn't respond Sakura turned around quickly.

"...Did you fall asleep?" The incredulous look he received when he made eye contact was so comical he momentarily forget that he'd wanted to glare at the woman. When he didn't react at first she went off on a tirade. Itachi caught harsh mumbles of "typical male," "what did I expect," and, "you do all the work for them to take it for granted." All the while her cell phone continued to complain noisily in the background. His eye twitched.

"I did not fall asleep." Itachi's calm voice caught Sakura's attention.

"Uh huh." Her hands were firmly on her hips, the ringing had finally stopped. Itachi's eye twitched again.

"And I appreciate your time."

"Really, you do?" The change in her demeanor happened too quickly for any sane person. Then her cell phone began to ring again. Another twitch.

"You should get that."

"Oh, right." She murmured, a blush staining her cheeks. Turning smartly on her heel, she headed off to her bedroom. Soon after the ringing stopped and a slightly muffled conversation began.

"Hello?" He heard her ask. "Oh, hi sensei. How are-" He heard her muffled gasp. "What? When? How could that be?"

Oddly perturbed by the worry in her voice, Itachi glanced around her kitchen for a nice distraction, his attention stopped short at her white fridge. It was covered in buttons, magnets, and pictures. Scanning the pictures his eyes settled over one in particular. There were three children gathered together with an older man behind them. All dressed in their black gi, for what martial arts Itachi didn't know. He spotted Sakura easily, all smile and enthusiasm. A boy was on each side, one bright and unfamiliar, the other- _shit. _

He'd never imagined how far luck was against him. Had he known this doctor was a member of his little brother's close knit dojo he would have looked else where. Never one for taking chances, he stood and untucked his .40 cal from the back of his jeans. Flicking the safety off with his thumb, he quietly cocked the pistol and focused intently on the other presence in the apartment.

"Tell me, Kakashi." He heard Sakura demand. Then a sharp intake of breath and a pause. "I... I need to go. No, just some things I have to clarify. Keep him safe, I'll call you back soon. Yes - yes, sensei. I promise."

A heavy silence set in. He lifted his arms, pistol ready.

* * *

The fact that she remained able to function mentally was quite amazing, Sakura felt. Honestly now, how many people get a cautionary phone call about a major suspect for murder, who just recently escaped the police near their home, only to receive an epiphany that said suspect happened to have found their way into your home? Not to mention the daunting connection between the suspect and her childhood crush. She knew his features reminded her of someone!

_Why me? I don't beat kids and I swear I recycle. Hell, I even let that old lady have the parking spot I wanted at work. It can't be for nothing! I don't want to die, _Sakura thought sullenly.

She had to calm down. Panicking had never helped in previous crappy situations. What she needed was a plan. Playing innocent wasn't quite appealing, so if she could find something... of course! Sakura kept an aluminum baseball bat under her bed for emergencies. Her inner self felt anything but pleased at the idea of finally having to use said emergency weapon.

_A girl has got to do what a girl's got to do, _she told herself sternly. She could feel time slowing to a crawl and knew that she needed to ground herself and think clearly. There was no room for hesitation in the next few moments.

* * *

_Where is that woman? I don't hear her at all, _Itachi continued to wonder. It had only been a few minutes since he heard her supposedly end the conversation on the phone. Maybe he should have just left quietly? That would surely end unpleasantly. He hated loose ends.

"Give me a second, Itachi. I just need to make a quick phone call." Sakura's voice called out from her bedroom. His brow furrowed when he didn't hear the expected quiver of fear in her voice. He really had expected her to merely approach him with a weapon and then he'd be forced to end her life unless she submitted. By nature Itachi was speculative, some said paranoid even; so when he made the assumption that whomever called Sakura gave her enough information to connect the dots as to who he was, he readily adjusted to the situation. Truthfully, he had not thought that she would cope so well.

The thought of who'd she call at such a time left only one plausible answer: the police. The exact opposite of what Itachi wanted at the moment. _Do I take the ball out of her court, or do I play along? Time's running out. _As much as Itachi was surprised by the doctor's bold actions, he was quite angry that he'd been forced into a corner.

He promptly made up his mind on his course of action. The man wasn't called a genius for nothing.

* * *

For some unknown, idiotic reason, Sakura could not finish the call to the police. The bright white numbers 9 1 1 glared up at the doctor, yet she couldn't press the last button on her cell phone. She knew he was most definitely Sasuke's older brother, but did he truly commit the crime that was being pinned on him? Maybe she should just go out and confront him...

_And do what? Ask him if he fell off the deep end and slaughtered his family? How quaint, _her inner sceptic scoffed.

In black and white it made so much sense, but she could tell there was more to it than she knew. Sakura had a knack for having good gut responses to people, and although his presence was incredibly intense, she felt no danger emanating from the man.

A movement caught her eyes and she swung her bat more out of reflex than anything else. As luck would have it, the baseball bat collided with Itachi's arm and his pistol sailed into the hall. She winced at the venomous look Itachi was giving her.

_So, about those "good gut responses," _her inner doubter joked.

Ugh. Now was _not _the time for an inner argument. The man in front of her was waiting for something, and she didn't know what. Sakura held onto the bat with a white-knuckled grip as she brought her nearly forgotten cell phone to her ear. Before she could raise the phone two inches Itachi seemed to twitch and then there was another reflex swing which barely hit him before he crashed into Sakura. In a tangle of limbs the two fell to the floor.

The light-red head struggled desperately to keep her cell phone in her hands, giving up her grip on her emergency weapon in the struggle. The bat rolled off uselessly to the side of her bedroom. Itachi fought hard to keep the crazy, wriggling woman beneath him while he attempted to pry the cell phone out Sakura's deceivingly feminine hands. He should just kill the unpredictable woman and be done with it, but something kept his priority to get the communicating device away from her.

Nothing she tried doing seemed to work. Her eyes watered with the mix of panic and frustration. In one last effort, Sakura shoved at Itachi to get enough free space to turn onto her stomach. Strong hands gripped her crawling form and pulled her backwards. She kicked and screamed, but muscular arms wound their way around her torso quickly squeezing the air out of her lungs and locking her arms to her side.

"Sakura, stop this." Itachi's voice sounded rough and labored. His warm breath fanned unevenly against her cheek and ear. "I was being honest when I told you that I intend you no harm."

"Is that why you were going to shoot me?" Her voice came out gruff and demanding. When she didn't get an immediate answer she turned to the side but stopped when his lips grazed her ear. Surely it was an accident, she knew, yet the realization of their bodies' proximity of each other was irreversible. His firm body pressed wonderfully against hers. She could still feel his warm breath tickle her sensitive skin and fought to control herself. She was not that deprived, dammit!

"I cannot have the police on my back any more than they already are. I will kill you if you leave me no choice."

"You've murdered before." Sakura stated more than asked.

"Hn." Itachi's response brushed against her ear.

"Then... you killed them, didn't you?"

"My parents?"

She nodded, stubbornly ignoring the skin in contact with her own.

"I did not kill them." His voice wasn't rough anymore, nor was it his usual velvety tone. He sounded very tired and something deep within Sakura contracted.

"I believe you." She felt him tighten his grip on her, but forced herself to relax instead of panicking. "I'm an idiot for it, but I prefer to be as honest as possible."

"Ah, that explains why Miss Haruno lives one to the left of you." His voice held an underlying amusement that could only be found at the expense of someone else.

"Gah!" Sakura huffed. "I promise I won't call the cops if you don't try anything I deem as suspicious, alright?"

"Acceptable, though if you break this agreement then your person is forfeit."

"Fine, deal. Now let go of me or I'll call the cops." Sakura knew she was pushing her luck, but the light red-head couldn't help it. If it wasn't for the humor laced into her demand, Itachi most likely would have reacted violently. Instead he allowed her to gain some personal space while he located his pistol.

_What else could go wrong today, _she questioned the universe as she watched Itachi tuck his gun back into his pants.

Suddenly her cell phone came to life. Itachi and she exchanged a meaningful look before she picked up the phone to see who was trying to get in touch with her. The number calling was very well known to the young woman.

It was her mother.


	2. Cat Naps & Table Talk

This story is **rated M **due to language and sexual situations.

**Disclaimer**: Only in my dreams do I own the Naruto-verse and the characters involved. o.~

**Chapter Two: Cat Naps and Table Talk **

Sakura's lungs ached with the force of her sigh.

"I have to answer this." She showed the mini display on her cell phone which read, "Don't Panic," to Itachi.

He raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't overtly express reluctance for her to answer.

"Hello, _Ma_." Sakura intentionally stressed the noun for Itachi's sake.

He calmly blinked, but made no further movements. The light-red head assumed that was his way of communicating an understanding, or... something.

"How are you, dear?" Her mother's voice won her focus. A calming effect occurred, as if an umbilical connection could be reached via maternal voice.

"...um, good?"

"Honey, you're a horrible liar. What's wrong?"

Sakura looked up and caught Itachi's dark eyes. He had moved closer to her, and there was no way he hadn't heard her mother's question. Any doubt was thrown out the door when Sakura noticed his eyes narrow slightly as she hesitated.

"Oh, nothing. Really. I just..." _She just had a man tied to a double homicide standing in her room without a shirt on. _A definite no-no in regards to what you mention to your mother.

"You just...?"

Itachi's intense gaze burned twin holes through her. There was no way she could think of a good enough excuse for her mom while receiving such a look. She glared at the incorrigible man, trying her best to communicate her thoughts. When he merely crossed his arms, Sakura couldn't hold back her sigh of impatience.

"Oh! Oh, my goodness. Is there something I should know?" Her mother sounded so hopeful. "Are you, you know, seeing someone?"

Umbilical connection via maternal voice thoroughly severed, Sakura tried to massage away the oncoming headache.

"Ommigod! Karl, our daughter is seeing someone!" Her mother's loud voice was cheerful and horribly embarrassing to the short doctor. The unavoidable blush only added to her frustration.

_Just how bad could one day get?_

Squaring her shoulders, she fought back the blush and made eye contact with Itachi again. The intense look was gone, fortunately. In its place was that glint of amusement that Sakura was quickly becoming to consider familiar.

_Damn him. How dare he find this situation amusing?_

"Ma, I never said that!" The young woman finally protested.

"I am world wise, dear. I can tell these things. Now, I want to meet this young man." Her mother's voice offered no rebuttal.

The corner of Itachi's lips twitched into a small smirk. Mysterious, dark men weren't allowed to openly laugh, but she knew that he was laughing mercilessly on the inside. The bastard.

Sakura wanted to scream into a pillow. Or maybe just beat the man next to her a few more times with her bat. Okay, so the bat idea sounded really appealing to her. Screw the fact that he's injured - oh, shit! She had completely forgotten about Itachi's injuries once the adrenaline kicked into overdrive.

"Sakura? Are you listening to your mother?"

"Yes, of course," was Sakura's automatic response.

"Good, then I look forward to meeting your special someone."

Sakura's mouth opened, but her vocal chords had gone on strike.

"Diner is at seven, like usual. I'll see you then, love." Her mother's voice was practically radiating jubilance, and before Sakura had the chance to regain her voice, her mother had already hung up.

"Life sucks." The young woman complained as she tossed her cell phone onto her bed.

"Hn," was Itachi's simple reply.

Temper sparking, Sakura whirled around and marched straight in front of the current bane of her existence. He still looked pale from his blood loss, but she would care about that after she gave the man a piece of her mind. Glaring up at his ever stoic face, Sakura poked him in the chest. Hard.

"_You _are bad luck! _You_," another poke, "come here bleeding everywhere for _me_," she brought her thumb to her chest for emphasis, "to magically heal _you_ with _my _imaginary powers." While she continued to gesture dramatically her voice escalated as well. "Then you decide it would be a great idea to _shoot_ me!" Sakura failed to notice the dark-haired man's subtle signs of irritation during her tirade. "Oh, but that didn't work, so let's tackle her. What an even better idea, he thinks. Not as amazing as the next plan of supervising her unmistakably suspicious phone call with her mother, though. That's pure genius!"

So into her rant, Sakura had not been paying attention to Itachi at all. By the time she realized that she'd managed to affect the aloof man, she was still too overwhelmed with her emotions from the situation to back down. She stubbornly held her posture just as rigidly straight as his had become, and continued to glare expectantly at the man before her. His pale, angular face was disturbingly blank. He would have seemed lifeless were it not for the wild crimson tint to his dark eyes. So concentrated was his responding glare that it felt like a physical force. Slightly taken aback, the light red-head clenched her fists but refused to look away.

Sakura knew that Sasuke's older bother could have killed her, yet he had chosen not to. Indeed, she was grateful. That didn't mean she owed him anything for his decision to hold back on the murdering, and she sure as hell wasn't going to allow him to think that she did. Especially when she was already doing a favor for him.

Eyes widening, she watched Itachi's jaw clench. He was quite possibly restraining himself more than she understood. Then, Itachi slowly leaned forward until she felt his warm breath against her temple.

"Be glad, Sakura, that you at least have a mother to manage _unmistakably__ suspicious _conversations with." His voice was darkly untamed, yet still retained the quiet demeanor one associated with the Uchiha family. There was a hint of something else in that voice, something unbearably raw-perhaps a hard learned truth?

_Maybe he didn't appreciate his own mother while she was alive? _The thought flitted through her mind sadly.

The light red-head's temper cooled considerably at the new insight into the person before her, but there was just one more thing...

"All right." Carefully pushing the man away from her, she said, "we'll appreciate my mother together. At seven."

And to both of their surprise, Itachi didn't argue.

* * *

"So... what are you going to do after we get back from my parents?" Sakura asked while finishing up on Itachi's leg. This was her first attempt at conversation after what she deemed 'The Incident.' They had easily settled back into the routine of doctor and patient in silence, but the light red-head was growing tired. She hadn't been able to gain a good amount of sleep before Itachi came a-knockin', and now she'd been working for hours. Perfectionism was _not _a bad thing, dammit!

Itachi had watched the young doctor work intently and could tell she was nearing exhaustion, but he remained silent. Such a topic was definitely not something to be discussed with the woman before him.

"Please indulge a curious mind here. Are you going to put on a fashionable cloak and seek revenge? Maybe go to another country, join some form of mafia and then hide it out?"

Green eyes shot up in surprise at the sound of a deep chuckle. He was barely smirking, but his eyes were lit with mirth.

"You watch too much television, Sakura."

"Ptsh, I do not. Don't smirk! I barely have time to sleep, let alone watch TV, with my work schedule."

Itachi blatantly eyed the scenery of her not-so-clean apartment slowly. "No time, indeed."

"Oi! Don't even, jerk face."

Another deep chuckle.

She dramatically sighed to hide her own amusement. "You're so damn lucky I have a big heart."

They settled back into silence. Both with much on their mind. Sakura focused intently on Itachi's bullet wound. She was determined to finish soon so she could get lunch ready and have a nap before getting ready for the trying evening ahead of her. If not for her gut feelings toward the dark-haired man, she felt safe in the knowledge that he knew if she didn't show up for either her parents or her meeting with her dojo the next day they'd immediately think something was wrong.

As she had promised, she had called her sensei back (with Itachi at her side, of course). The light red-head felt bad about lying to Kakashi, but she wanted him to be able to focus on helping Sasuke cope with the loss of his parents. If, by chance, the man she was patching up truly was as bad as his little brother thought, then she arranged a dojo meeting with the injured man still standing right next to her. She was punctual by nature, and her sensei and dojo brothers were unbelievably protective of her. The slight gleam in Itachi's dark eyes told her that he knew exactly what she had done and why. She was quite surprised that his appraisal - no, approval - of her actions meant anything to her. She did her best not to focus too long on the feeling.

Kakashi had made her promise to use all of her door locks until Sasuke's brother was safely put away. _Just in case, _he had said. It all made her feel like Little Red Riding Hood. The thought had her lips quirking up.

Itachi silently observed the emotions passing over the young woman's face with an unreasonable amount of curiosity. Compared to what he'd heard from his little brother, he had to admit he found it rather unexpected how different his view of the light red-head before him was. Granted, her ability to switch from one emotion to another (usually on the opposite side of the spectrum) rang true. However, the vast majority of what Sasuke had complained about in the only girl on his training team was unfounded, Itachi thought. It was true that his little brother complained less about his fellow dojo members as he grew older, but he had always maintained an air of superiority.

Such a foolish little brother he was.

Distracted by a soft hand smoothing a large bandage over the wound on his leg, the dark haired man focused once again on the attractive face before him. Her eyes were dull in her fatigue, her movements slower as well. He noted how intently furrowed her brow was and acknowledged her strong sense of determination once again. The soft hand - _her _soft hand - continued to rhythmically pass over the bandage lightly. As content as he felt with her fondling his person, he wondered how much better her mind would operate with the correct amount of sleep.

"Sakura."

"Hm?" Coming out of her daze, Sakura realized she was finally finished with her task. "Oh... " And that even though she had zoned out, her pesky hand had a mind of its own. "Sorry."

Itachi couldn't help but find her embarrassment rather endearing. His brother must be half blind.

"Ugh," the light red-head stood up and stretched before washing her hands in the kitchen sink, "I could eat an elephant."

Their stomachs rumbled accordingly.

"Would you like any help?" Itachi offered after watching the woman dry her hands and rummage around her humble refrigerator.

Despite her shock at his offer, Sakura was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. It wasn't long before the two had created impressive sandwiches, even if Itachi was going out on a limb to try the red-head's idea of double layered meat and cheese. He couldn't help but question where the petite woman's eating habits came from.

Sakura grabbed the remainder of her potato chips from her small pantry before leading the dark haired man into her living room of sorts. He followed politely behind her and waited for her to sit down before gingerly arranging himself onto her small couch. There was enough room for both to sit on the couch and still maintain a comfortable distance. Itachi watched as the doctor balanced her plate in her lap, set the bag of chips between them, and then brought the TV across the room to life with a press of a button. It was quite obviously a well-worn routine for the woman.

Focusing on searching for a good channel, the light red-head easily dismissed the man next to her. She knew he was watching her somewhat more intently than she cared for, but she was hungry and wanted something to brainlessly watch as she inhaled her food. Settling for some random channel showing the local weather forecast, she set the remote control on the arm of the couch and smiled evilly at her prey.

Itachi was pleased with the sandwich contraption Sakura had helped him make. Judging by the rather primal sounds of pleasure she was making, Sakura was very pleased with her sandwich as well. Half way through his meal, the dark-haired man paused to raise an incredulous eyebrow at the woman next to him. She was done with her sandwich and was now using one hand to rub her belly and the other to feed herself chips. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't look away.

"What?" Sakura finally snapped. She glanced over at him and then rolled her eyes at his raised eyebrow. She'd rather watch the weather than deal with that eyebrow, or those eyes of his in general. He would just have to learn to speak like everyone else.

Itachi couldn't decide whether he was more amused or horrified. There was not a single crumb left on her plate.

"Want some chips?" She offered awkwardly, her mouth stuffed with chips, when it was obvious he wasn't going to respond to her previous question. "Quick. Take some before I eat them all."

He was definitely more amused.

"Will my hand return whole?" His inquiry brought the woman up short. Her eyes were on him again, and he could practically see the wheels turning behind her viridian eyes. Suddenly her eyes brightened and she smiled widely.

"Ha! So you do have a sense of humor in there."

He smirked in response.

"But seriously, chip up now or never," she ordered while sticking the bag out toward him.

His hand dipped into the bag and then the calm music playing through the television speakers abruptly turned into an urgent voice. Both Sakura and Itachi looked up.

"We interrupt this program to alert locals of an emergency. The main suspect of a multiple homicide was last seen fleeing the police within Leaf County. If you have seen this man," the news reporter disappeared as a picture of Itachi was shown, "then we ask that you contact the police immediately. Do not approach him, as he is likely to be dangerous and - "

The TV screen went dark with a push of a button, and Sakura released a deep breath. She would now be considered an accomplice if her dealings with this man became public knowledge. Maybe she should just tell him to hit the road now? A quick glance in his direction and she knew she couldn't do that. He looked as exhausted as she felt. Besides, if she didn't bring someone with her to her parents then she'd have to deal with her mother's cold side, and she'd much rather deal with the police than an irked Mama Haruno.

"Well, that's enough of that," she announced with forced cheer.

Itachi's head snapped up; he'd been deep in thought.

"Let's catch a bit of rest."

He hesitated, but then nodded his assent.

They brought their empty plates to the sink and Sakura was pleasantly surprised when Itachi took over cleaning duties. She threw the chip bag away and then set about making a temporary bed out of the couch for Itachi. She had a specific set of bedding for the couch, since her guy friends would stay over sometimes. Once she finished tucking in the sheets and spreading out the comforter, she grabbed one of the several pillows off of her bed and smacked it around a bit before tossing it onto the couch. Itachi made his way over from the kitchen and looked over the couch-turned-bed.

"It'll be a bit of a squeeze, but it'll have to work. Um, I'll be in my room if you need anything," she said and turned to leave.

"Sakura," he called softly and she stopped. "Thank you."

She turned and a sweet smile curled her lips. He was awed to feel his lips twitch in response, and continued to stare at her bedroom door long after she disappeared behind it before settling on to the couch.

He knew that the last thing he should be considering was exactly what he was doing. Sakura was a good person and she didn't deserve to be any more attached to the situation at hand, yet here he was wrapped in a comforter on her couch. His weary body wouldn't be able to take him too far, so he could see the benefits of a little rest before leaving the safety of the light red-head's apartment. However, he had no such way to rationalize going to her parent's house. He was indulging himself with a distraction - as entertaining and attractive as it was - when he needed to be at his most focused.

Rolling onto his uninjured side, his face pressed into the pillow. It smelt of her, and he inhaled deeply without thought.

Itachi closed his eyes, and her scent lulled him to sleep.

* * *

Several hours later, Sakura's alarm went off for the third time. When she went to smack the snooze button again she paused, shocked - her apple shaped clock clearly read a quarter past six P.M.

"Shit!"

She jumped out of bed and hastily unlocked her bedroom door. When she stuck her head out to yell at Itachi to get up, she noticed he was already up and folding the bedding. Shutting the door, Sakura leaned against it for a moment while she contemplated what she'd just witnessed. If he truly did murder his parents, which she already didn't believe, then surely he wouldn't have politely washed their dishes or folded the linens. Or be so respectful.

Yes, he did point a gun at her earlier. Definitely not something to be happy about, yet she could see it from his perspective. If she had made that call to the police, then his life would've been a whole hell of a lot harder from then on. She sighed and pushed off of the door.

It took a few minutes to pull on some decent clothes, and then she was out of her room and checking on Itachi.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked as she placed the back of her hand to his forehead.

"Yes."

"Good," she said brightly, and then shoved her hand at him. "Now give me my phone back."

He smirked and she felt the weight of his dark eyes on her face. She had noticed her phone was missing from where she'd tossed it on her bed before she'd taken her nap, but hadn't cared enough at the time to march out and demand it back. Refusing to meet those piercing eyes while she stood so close to the man, Sakura continued her quick check-up after putting her cell phone into her skort's pocket.

"You'll need to change your bandages in a couple days. You can remove the stitches in around ten days or so. Are you familiar with the procedure?"

"Yes."

"Great. Then you should also already know not to strain the injured areas, as there's a definite risk for tearing, since that would only add to the chances of an infection. Which are already high with sutured wounds, of course." She finally met his eyes, wanting her point to be made. "Right?"

"Hn."

"I'm serious. It'll be an inconvenience to take care of your wounds correctly, sure. But you really don't want an infection."

"I'll do my best."

"That's all anyone can ask for." Something in his demeanor changed with her words and she didn't know how to interpret the reaction. Confused, Sakura patted his bare shoulder awkwardly. "All right! Let's see what I can find to dress you."

Itachi followed her hesitantly into her bedroom. He didn't like the idea of wearing someone else's clothing, but wasn't in any shape to argue. He wanted to get out of his blood crusted pants and he didn't even know where Sakura put his shirt. He could only assume she threw it away on the sly, which he couldn't blame her for. The shirt had been in a miserable state.

"These look like they might fit you."

She held up a pair of worn cargo pants and a bright orange T-shirt that he saw read, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" once he got a good look at it.

"Unacceptable."

"You're going to have to deal with it, Itachi."

"I think not."

"Why are you being so difficult? It's not like they're dirty, and they're definitely better than what you have on now."

The two glared at each other for a moment.

"We don't have time for this," Sakura huffed in annoyance, and assumed the upset-woman stance.

With an indignant sniff, the dark haired man took the clothes into the small bathroom to change.

"Oh, and there are some small towels in the cabinet by the mirror. I suggest using one to freshen up," she called through the door.

Itachi was affronted by the insinuation. He may have been a bit dirty, but he'd never had an issue with his appearance or smell before.

"Just don't get your bandages wet," the woman warned as an afterthought.

He heard her move away from the bathroom door and into what sounded like the kitchen, considering the distinctive noise the soles of her shoes made against the tile floor. Putting aside the comment the light red-head made, Itachi located the towels and did what needed to be done. Fifteen minutes later he was clean, dressed, and very ready for food.

"See, you look just fine."

"Hn."

"No, really." Sakura was barely able to keep her face straight at the sight of such an aristocratic looking man wearing such casual clothing, but she managed for the sake of not being at the business end of a barrel. Again. "Just one more thing. Here," she handed him a plain black beenie, "tuck your hair up into it."

He gave her a dark look.

"What? It's the best disguise I could come up with on such short notice."

He knew they were both risking quite a bit simply by being around each other, and he felt frustrated at his lack of practicality. He should be well away from this town by now. He should have made Sakura work faster so he'd have time to put distance between himself and the murderers who framed him.

"Are you okay?"

The dark eyed man refocused on the woman before him. Her concern was displayed openly on her face.

"You really don't have to come with me," Sakura offered. "It's not like my parents would be surprised if I showed up alone."

There was a pathetic tone to her voice that pulled him in, urged him to take pity on her despite his ultimate priority. Perhaps his father was right about him being a gentle person? He crushed the thought as quickly as it came.

"Let us go." Stepping out of the apartment, Itachi glanced around and saw no one.

Sakura hurriedly locked up before leading the dark-haired man to her bright red Volkswagen new beetle.

"This is what you drive?"

"Don't use that tone in reference to Jerry. He's a good boy."

Itachi simply stared.

"I'm serious," she warned. Her car and she had been through a lot together, including several first experiences. That included owning her first vehicle; it took saving up for a year and a half at her first job (fast food, urg). Never would she forget her first fender bender (with a hot cop), or her first road trip (to the coast after graduating high school), or the first time she'd been kissed (which was against the driver side door with Itachi's younger brother). Hm. Awkward.

The pale man looked into Jerry's window and was shocked to see that the vehicle was absent of fluffy, dangling objects, and also had a manual transmission.

"Your door should be unlocked," she said as she opened her door and settled behind the wheel.

Itachi eyed the vehicle a moment more before finally giving in and joining the light red-head. There was an unexpected amount of leg room inside the car, even after Sakura shoved her purse down by his feet. He'd been prepared for cutesy miscellaneous items to be decorating the vehicle, but besides the scarf tied around the driver's side head rest with Sakura's namesake stitched delicately on it, there was nothing within the Volkswagen that would make him think a female was its owner.

Then the car started and Florence + the Machine blared out of the speakers. The doctor rushed to lower the volume, laughing sheepishly.

* * *

"Just remember that my family is crazy, and let me handle it when it gets rough," Sakura reminded her passenger once again as she pulled into her parent's driveway.

Upon seeing her mother walk out onto the small front porch, Sakura added, "you know, just leave the talking to me."

Her mother was practically beaming at Itachi, Sakura noticed. Itachi must have noticed as well, judging by the look of amusement he shot her way.

"All of the talking, got it? Now get out before I decide to drive away."

"Is this him? Oh, wow! What a hotty," Sakura's mother gushed the second the car doors opened.

"Yes," Sakura grimaced and quickly walked around the car to wrap an arm around Itachi tightly. "This is my boyfriend, Steve. He's a doctor too."

"Hit the jackpot, didn't you?"

Itachi glared down at the light red-head, but she blatantly ignored him. Taking a page from her Book of Schemery, Itachi wrapped an arm around her rather tightly as well. Naturally, Sakura's mother was oblivious to the struggle.

"I'm sorry, Steve, my manners must have left me," Sakura's mother said as she made her way down the porch steps. She embraced her daughter along with her daughter's new boyfriend, and then took a step back and smiled brightly at Itachi.

He easily noticed the resemblance between the two women. Sakura's mother had a kind face, one that smiled so freely there were lines to prove it. Her green eyes and red hair were darker shades than her daughters, but the eye shape and hair thickness were nearly identical.

"It's so nice to meet you! You can call me Blanaid, or 'Sakura's Mother' if that's more comfortable for you. It's just been so long... we thought Sakura might not be interested in men anymore."

"Ma! So not cool."

"Well, it's true! Both your father and I were worried about whether or not we'd ever see grandchildren."

"Lesbians can have babies now, Mom."

"Oh, Holy J, Sakura. You know how I feel about that."

"Yeah, and you know how I feel about that too," she countered stubbornly.

Her mother sighed deeply. "All right, let's get a move on. We musn't let dinner get cold."

As Itachi and Sakura followed Blanaid into the house, he found himself wondering if the doctor beside him was truly a lesbian. He was no master at understanding women, but there were a few times where he vividly remembered her responding to him as if she considered him attractive. Perhaps he was mistaken?

"Ignore the freaky dolls," Sakura whispered, bringing him back into the moment. "My mom likes to collect them for some unknown reason."

"It's not unknown," Blanaid defended, leading them through the entrance room and then the living room. "I collect them for the sake of collecting them."

"See, unknown."

Looking around the clean house, Itachi did notice a rather large collection of dolls. The porcelain dolls were set on any and all furniture within the house it seemed. Luckily, the room that Sakura's mother led them to was mostly doll free.

Like all of the house Itachi had seen, the dining room had dark wood floors. The thick dining table matched the floors perfectly, and was already set beautifully for five people. Two of which, were already in their seats.

Sakura immediately introduced her "boyfriend" to her father and her Opa. While her father simply shook his hand, her grandfather crossed his thin arms and gave Itachi a severe look.

"What makes you think you're good enough for my Enkelin, Lady Eyes?"

"Don't speak to our guest like that," Sakura's mother reproved.

"Just look at him! What good is a man with feminine eyes?"

Itachi clenched his jaw and glared at the old man.

"You got something to say to me, girly?"

"Opa, please. Steve's mute."

Itachi's glare immediately left the old man to settle heatedly on Sakura. She valiantly ignored him.

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, mom. He's learned to live with it," Sakura said as she made a play at leaning close and kissing Itachi's cheek.

"So this dussel can't even speak?"

"Opa," Sakura gasped, indignant. "You insult me when you insult him."

The balding man grunted and shoveled some potatoes onto his plate, mumbling in German all the while. It was obvious to Itachi that Sakura loved her grandfather and that the old man had a large soft spot for her. He was curious if she always had to defend her dates.

"Sit," Blanaid said brightly. "Please make yourself comfortable, Steve."

"Dinner looks great, Ma. Sorry for being a little late."

"Thank you, sweetheart. And I can forgive you for being late when you have that hunk of a man next to you to enjoy."

Itachi choked on his drink.

Sakura's mother took this as a sign of embarrassment, and reached over to pat the man's shoulder. The dark haired man went to speak, but Sakura spoke quickly before he had fully recovered from his coughing fit.

"There was no enjoying anything. We accidentally slept in is all."

"You don't need to lie to me, honey. Just promise me that you'll use protection, okay?"

The light red head blushed darker than her hair.

"Oh, baby girl. Please tell me you're smarter than that!"

"Shit, Ma! Seriously?"

"Karl," Blanaid said, "tell your daughter to use protection and to watch her language."

"Sakura, use protection. Watch language."

"Father, tell mother to mind her own you-know-what."

"Blanaid, mind yourself."

"Exactly who's side are you on, Karl?"

Sakura's father actually looked up at that. He was a handsome man who carried his age well. Karl shared a meaningful look with Itachi and then went back to eating.

"Useless," Blanaid said, throwing her hands into the air.

"He _trusts_ me, mom. And you should too. I'm a doctor for crying out loud."

"I _do_ trust you, Sakura. I will always worry though."

"Well, stop it."

"I can't. It's my job."

The two women shared their own meaningful look. Itachi was surprised to see them both smile. He had been so sure they were angry at each other.

"Can we focus on the eating part of dinner, now?"

Blanaid laughed, and then everything seemed to shift into calmer grounds. The two women still spoke, but it was mostly gossip about others. Every now and then Karl or Sakura's grandfather would join in.

This kind of family dinner was thought to be fictional to Itachi. His family wasn't necessarily cold to each other, yet compared to the setting he was currently in, his family was beyond taciturn.

After everyone helped clear dinner away, and Blanaid shooed everyone out of "her kitchen," she quickly brought out dessert. Itachi heard the doctor sitting next to him inhale sharply. She truly loved to eat, it seemed.

"Remember this, Steve. Pumpkin cheesecake is her all time favorite."

Sakura was practically vibrating in her seat. As soon as the dish was set onto the table, she was cutting herself a huge slice. Then she was filling a spoon and stuffing it in her mouth. Her eyes closed and she moaned around the spoon.

He kept watching her, mesmerized.

"Would you like a slice, Steve?"

Dark eyes snapped away from Sakura, only to fall on a kind face with a knowing smile. He opened his mouth before stopping and nodding his consent. With a quick glance around the table, Itachi knew he'd been caught ogling the doctor by her entire family.

_Wonderful_, he thought, shifting awkwardly in his seat.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait much longer before Sakura had annihilated the pie. The goodbyes were sincere, yet short, and soon enough they were on their way back to her apartment.

"The mute, doctor named Steve was the best you could think of?" Itachi asked the second they were safely in her car.

"I'm so sorry! Don't be angry," she pleaded. "That's just what came to me in the heat of the moment."

"I am not angry," he admitted. "Actually, I find myself somewhat impressed."

"Really?" She asked smiling, surprised.

"Yes."

"Well, to be fair, they weren't so bad this time," Sakura admitted.

The dark haired man regarded her with obvious doubt.

"I didn't say they _weren't_ bad."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes.

"What exactly is a dussel?"

Sakura laughed.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, it sure has been a while. Life has been quite eventful, so thanks to those who remain interested in my story despite my horrid updating. Story Alert, for the win. : P  
On a side note, after some research and a conversation with a friend in the medical field I've realized how badly I have butchered things for those readers out there who are in the field. And while I have decided to leave the story how it is for now, I really hope that everyone can look past my technical mistakes and enjoy the story behind it all.

Also! Special thanks to those who decided to review: Three sisters productions, Amaya-nights rain, Zero25, CherryKittyKat, and Starsandstuff. I really appreciate it. : )


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